Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[Lake Effect]

I also started my first Coach bag rehab today on a City Bag. I took the turnlock pieces off (the clasp itself is super loose so I'll need to replace it, anyway). It's been soaked and rinsed and is currently drying stuffed with towels.

Does anyone else whisper "You're so pretty!" at their bags? Because I can't stop myself and I feel like it might be a useful step in the process. It looks so good right now.

Ah yes, my fellow rehabber! Also guilty of rubbing them in a circular motion, like I tend to rub the back of a small child sitting in my lap. Nuture that bag, lol.
Sigh. Ah the City bag. Enjoy!
Doesn't it seem like we all start out rabbing a City bag early on?? Good times.

 

[Lake Effect]

You can get leather CPR at Marshalls for about $7. It's a good first coat during drying. And an excellent no fuss conditioner all the time. I use mine all the time. Also I second using old towels for stuffing rather than paper. When it's dry paper is useful to help keep the shape when the bag isn't in use.

My Marshall's or Tuesday Morning doesn't carry it. Sales people looked at me like I had two heads when I asked about it. So I ordered online.

 

[Lake Effect]

So has anyone rehabbed a really soft lamb bag before? Cheating on Coach a lil with this Lucky bag. That has an very long adjustable strap . I did get this for a dollar at the Goodwill outlet on the other side of the county that sells things by the pound. So I can't say I never find a deal by me!

 

[coach943]

So has anyone rehabbed a really soft lamb bag before? Cheating on Coach a lil with this Lucky bag. That has an very long adjustable strap . I did get this for a dollar at the Goodwill outlet on the other side of the county that sells things by the pound. So I can't say I never find a deal by me!View attachment 3806502

I think my Balenciaga might be lambskin. (Or maybe it's goatskin? I really don't know.) Anyway, it is very soft. I use Leather Honey on it. It works great.

 

[katev]

The Obenauf's Oil, as I expected, deepened the tone to more of a tabac color, if you can imagine that from this style's original color. Now she's a dirty blonde! I read in @katev 's rehab of the black Lexington she applied the O Oil while the bag was still damp, if IRC. So I am kinda stalled. Debating whether to add another app of O Oil to the bag now, or redunk and apply while damp.
Fellow rehabbers, your thoughts??

I didn't use Obenauf's Oil on the black Lexington, I only used Leather Therapy Oil which does not darken leather - although it wouldn't have mattered since it was black. I did add the leather therapy oil while it was still damp to slow the drying, mostly because I was also working on a black Basic Bag at the same time and it was very dry.

 

[Lake Effect]

@katev Thanks for clarifying! Very much appeciated.

 

[whateve]

So has anyone rehabbed a really soft lamb bag before? Cheating on Coach a lil with this Lucky bag. That has an very long adjustable strap . I did get this for a dollar at the Goodwill outlet on the other side of the county that sells things by the pound. So I can't say I never find a deal by me!View attachment 3806502

I rehabbed a Coach nappa leather tortilla bag and several Fossil lamb leather. My new go to conditioner for these is the Saphir Delicate Cream Nappa Box. Other conditioners darken unevenly. I've never bathed any of these; only used vinegar for cleaning.

 

[whateve]

The Obenauf's Oil, as I expected, deepened the tone to more of a tabac color, if you can imagine that from this style's original color. Now she's a dirty blonde! I read in @katev 's rehab of the black Lexington she applied the O Oil while the bag was still damp, if IRC. So I am kinda stalled. Debating whether to add another app of O Oil to the bag now, or redunk and apply while damp.
Fellow rehabbers, your thoughts??

I think over time, the color should lighten back up. This style will never get really soft since it is supposed to have some structure. The conditioners I use for softening are mink oil and leather honey, but they darken too.

 

[katev]

So has anyone rehabbed a really soft lamb bag before? Cheating on Coach a lil with this Lucky bag. That has an very long adjustable strap . I did get this for a dollar at the Goodwill outlet on the other side of the county that sells things by the pound. So I can't say I never find a deal by me!View attachment 3806502

I've rehabbed 2 Girlie Hobo Coach bags from 2001 that were made of lamb nappa. One was in very good shape and only needed surface cleaning and conditioning. The other one was filthy. It was made of wool in a black and white houndstooth pattern and a light-light colored, very soft, leather.

At first I was afraid to get rough with the little bag because I didn't know if the wool would shrink or if the soft lamb leather would hold up to dunking. But the bag had only cost $9 at the thrift store and it was so dirty that I didn't have a choice.

I tried sink baths and they helped but they didn't do the job. There was so much dirt trapped in the wool that the water turned dark gray and I didn't feel like it was really clean. I finally put the purse into a lingerie bag and ran it through the washing machine with woolite on gentle cycle. I came out great. Then I just had to air dry it and condition the leather.

It had been so dirty before that I didn't realize that the leather had a soft, subtle gold sheen to it, perhaps a light metallic finish? But it was very pretty for an old bag!

Anyway, after that experience I wouldn't be afraid to rehab another lamb bag, they are tougher than they look and feel!

Below are some before and after pics of the little wool and lamb Girlie Hobo 8161 from 2001. You can't tell how dirty the bag really was from the before pics but it was very bad. If you look at the leather in the 4th picture below on the inside of the bag, you get an inkling of how dirty it was. There were also some ink marks on the leather inside the bag. I managed to lighten but not completely eliminate them.

Girlie Hobo 8161 Before:









Girlie Hobo 8161 After:

 

[Lake Effect]

I've rehabbed 2 Girlie Hobo Coach bags from 2001 that were made of lamb nappa. One was in very good shape and only needed surface cleaning and conditioning. The other one was filthy. It was made of wool in a black and white houndstooth pattern and a light-light colored, very soft, leather.

At first I was afraid to get rough with the little bag because I didn't know if the wool would shrink or if the soft lamb leather would hold up to dunking. But the bag had only cost $9 at the thrift store and it was so dirty that I didn't have a choice.

I tried sink baths and they helped but they didn't do the job. There was so much dirt trapped in the wool that the water turned dark gray and I didn't feel like it was really clean. I finally put the purse into a lingerie bag and ran it through the washing machine with woolite on gentle cycle. I came out great. Then I just had to air dry it and condition the leather.

It had been so dirty before that I didn't realize that the leather had a soft, subtle gold sheen to it, perhaps a light metallic finish? But it was very pretty for an old bag!

Anyway, after that experience I wouldn't be afraid to rehab another lamb bag, they are tougher than they look and feel!

Below are some before and after pics of the little wool and lamb Girlie Hobo 8161 from 2001. You can't tell how dirty the bag really was from the before pics but it was very bad. If you look at the leather in the 4th picture below on the inside of the bag, you get an inkling of how dirty it was. There were also some ink marks on the leather inside the bag. I managed to lighten but not completely eliminate them.

Girlie Hobo 8161 Before:

View attachment 3806536

View attachment 3806538

View attachment 3806539

View attachment 3806541

Girlie Hobo 8161 After:

View attachment 3806542

View attachment 3806544

View attachment 3806545

View attachment 3806546

Thank you for that info. The bag I have is really dirty. There is no way I cannot dunk it. Like your situation, not a huge investment.
And thanks to everyone!

 

[Lake Effect]

I think over time, the color should lighten back up. This style will never get really soft since it is supposed to have some structure. The conditioners I use for softening are mink oil and leather honey, but they darken too.

Good point, whateve. The interesting thing is I have this bag in navy and black. I bought the navy bag from a consignment store about 10 years ago and the bag was like new. Aside from some wear I have always kept it clean and conditioned. I bought the black on Mercari last fall. It had alot of wear but had been well conditioned according to the seller. I did dunk her. Her leather is so soft, I assume from the wear and subsequent cleaning and conditioning that the bag could be folded in half!
So thank you whateve for the perspective that the leather should have some structure. I really appreciate how generous you are with your experience.

 

[Lake Effect]

I've rehabbed 2 Girlie Hobo Coach bags from 2001 that were made of lamb nappa. One was in very good shape and only needed surface cleaning and conditioning. The other one was filthy. It was made of wool in a black and white houndstooth pattern and a light-light colored, very soft, leather.

At first I was afraid to get rough with the little bag because I didn't know if the wool would shrink or if the soft lamb leather would hold up to dunking. But the bag had only cost $9 at the thrift store and it was so dirty that I didn't have a choice.

I tried sink baths and they helped but they didn't do the job. There was so much dirt trapped in the wool that the water turned dark gray and I didn't feel like it was really clean. I finally put the purse into a lingerie bag and ran it through the washing machine with woolite on gentle cycle. I came out great. Then I just had to air dry it and condition the leather.

It had been so dirty before that I didn't realize that the leather had a soft, subtle gold sheen to it, perhaps a light metallic finish? But it was very pretty for an old bag!

Anyway, after that experience I wouldn't be afraid to rehab another lamb bag, they are tougher than they look and feel!

Below are some before and after pics of the little wool and lamb Girlie Hobo 8161 from 2001. You can't tell how dirty the bag really was from the before pics but it was very bad. If you look at the leather in the 4th picture below on the inside of the bag, you get an inkling of how dirty it was. There were also some ink marks on the leather inside the bag. I managed to lighten but not completely eliminate them.

Girlie Hobo 8161 Before:

View attachment 3806536

View attachment 3806538

View attachment 3806539

View attachment 3806541

Girlie Hobo 8161 After:

View attachment 3806542

View attachment 3806544

View attachment 3806545

View attachment 3806546

Side note, killing me with that $8.99 price tag. Just sayin lol

 

[SEWDimples]

And here are all the Coach accessories that now have a home in my new computer bag!

Chalk Tassel Charm 65834 BK CHK (Paid $20, Retail = $85)
Mickey Luggage Tag 93601 BLK (Paid $30, Retail = $65)
Rip and Repair Tech Envelope 65037 BK SD (Paid $30, Retail = $125)
Bleecker USB Fob 67257 CAD (Paid $12, Retail = $98)
MFF Structured Orchid Flap Business Card Case 8890 (Paid $12)

So I paid a grand total of $110 for my new to me VB computer bag and pouch along with 5 Coach accessories. And I have moved some items out of my rehab piles! Yippee!

The VB tote is very nice, it has a good zip closure and an outside back pocket, 2 side pockets for umbrella and water bottle, an inside zipper pocket, and 3 inside slip pockets, and a clip for keys that I am using it for the USB fob. It also has wide, adjustable, straps.

View attachment 3788060

Wow! It looks great, especially with the Coach accessories. I really like the long tassel bag charm and the Mickey luggage tag.

 

[Lake Effect]

So here is my before of my larger size Plaza


And here is the after

 

[Lake Effect]

So I am not sure if my limited photography skills captured the subtle but noticeable difference to me with dying the bag. I bought the Plaza off ebay last fall. I got what I felt was good deal, about $45 shipped. The seller pics did show slight fading (were taken outdoors in full sun). The bag as you can see was in good shape, so the fading was from the aging or lack of conditioning or both. I did dunk it with applications of Leather Therapy, Obenauf's Oil and Blackrock. The fading did not change.
After seeing what @marleneryd did for her black bags with Saphir products, I wanted to try to dye my bag, to restore it to a rich black color. I am a selective perfectionist. I can live with certain little spots or this or that on a bag. But I really like a black bag to be a rich black color and not faded. Go figure. Even though I felt nervous about dye. I mean I will dunk just about anything twice and ask questions later, lol, but dying a bag intimidated me.
marleneryd posted she used a colorant and conditioner combined. I looked at the Saphir products offered and decided on using Juvacuir Recolorant. It lead me to believe, or I read into it, that this product would eliminate the need to use a conditioner combined with it.
So I tested it on a slightly faded, much worn but conditioned black Bleeker. Well, I felt it was just sucking up the product and I am looking at the little bottle, 2.53 oz and thinking, holy moly. On a whim, I had just ordered Cadillac Select premium leather lotion and decided to mix it with colorant/dye. And I was pleased with what it did for the Bleeker. And I did mix it with the Cadillac Select for the Plaza. I applied it with a cotton cloth. I think next time I will use a make up sponge applicator, as I saw after the fact posted by @whateve . I still have about half of the bottle.
So moving forward, even though I thought I could forgo using a conditioner, I know whatever kind of dye or colorant product I will use in the future, I will be prepared to use a conditioner as well.
So the bottom line is I am really pleased how this came out on my first attempt. I have a Patricia with alot of fading on the front flap, especially on the edges. Now want to pull out and see how it responds. And I look forward to keeping my black Monterey Hobo looking good!!
And I this community. If it wasn't for you, I would have used the Kiwi product to touch up black shoes ! For real!
Today I was walking around the Saturday morning farmer's market enjoying it like a new bag!